FAIRY SUMMERBIRD (1999)

Ca. 27in, EMid, 2 - 3 way branching, ca. 20 buds, NOCT, DOR. Pale lavender and lilac bitone with chartreuse to green throat, turning yellow to chartreuse in heat. A superb example of the Butterfly Crispatation Pattern.This seedling out of my numerous "Gollast" crosses in the 1990's gave me the multiple branching and extreme spatulate petals of GOLLIWOG and a muted lilac colour influenced by ASTERISK. From both parents it gets a nocturnally-opening blooming habit and high pod fertility.

FAIRY SUMMERBIRD is still a standard for the Butterfly Form with its extreme spatulate petals and sepals (created through the base-quilling of the sepals). A full sib to DANCING SUMMERBIRD, FAIRY SUMMERBIRD has much better branching, smaller flowers and lighter colour. A true exotic. Prefers some afternoon shade to keep the soft colours, otherwise, it changes colours like so many of selections, to a soft creamy ivory pastel, which is also nice. In cooler climates, this and some of my other ASTERISK line seedling selections keep a rich hue of blended lavender, lilac, salmon, pink and the throats are much greener. The substance stays good in heat, but the colours are fugitive.

A second shot of this near-perfect BUTTERFLY FORM. Note: in cooler weather, the throat colour is very green, in our heat and hot sun, the throat colour turns chartreuse to yellow. The colour are also richer in cooler weather.